The Busan World Table Tennis Championships team competition is set to kick off on February 16th, and there are already some exciting highlights to look forward to. Reporters have been diligently checking team rosters online and visiting the stadium offline in preparation for the event, and they have found two interesting tidbits.
One standout from the tournament is the 12 groups of players from the same family participating in the championships, with the most well-known being Harimoto Tomokazu, Harimoto Mei, and their siblings from the Japanese team. Among them, 15-year-old Harimoto Miwa is participating in the World Table Tennis Championships team competition for the first time and has already secured a place to represent the Japanese team in the Paris Olympics.
Zhang Benzhihe, another player from the Japanese team, expressed his surprise at seeing his sister catch up with him and participate in the World Table Tennis Championships. He hopes that the two of them can motivate each other and achieve better results in the future, while his sister, Miwa Zhang, stated that she is delighted to fulfill her goal of playing with her brother and is looking forward to the competition.
Additionally, the Le Brun brothers of the French team are making a name for themselves in the European table tennis world, especially 17-year-old Felix, who has risen to sixth place in the world rankings. Felix expressed his excitement about competing in South Korea for the first time and hopes to stand on the podium with his brother.
In another highlight, the World Table Tennis Championships are being held in South Korea for the first time, with the host country strategically positioning itself to generate momentum for the home team and attract spectators. The world‘s eighth-ranked Korean female player, Shin Yubin, occupies the center position on a prominent promotional poster outside the Busan Convention and Exhibition Center, emphasizing the significance of the host country in the competition.
At a pre-match press conference, Shin Yubin, serving as a player representative, expressed the South Korean team’s serious preparation and the desire to impress the audience. ITTF President Petra Solin also acknowledged the special significance of the competition, noting that it was at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea when table tennis entered the Olympics for the first time, changing the sport’s development trajectory.
Solin further expressed anticipation for the competition, stating, “From experienced veterans to talented rookies, each player will bring their unique talent and passion, and they are ready to showcase the essence of our sport.” The 2024 ITTF Busan World Table Tennis Team Championship is shaping up to be an exciting competition, with players from around the world bringing their best to the table.